


Second Chances

by madeleone



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Complete, Drama, F/M, HP: EWE, Lemons, One Shot, Rare Pairing, Romance, coarse language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-07
Updated: 2010-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-11 13:57:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/113134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madeleone/pseuds/madeleone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been nearly a decade since the end of the war. Everyone has moved on with their lives. But why has Hermione lost all contact with the other two thirds of the trio? And is there a chance she might find happiness at last with someone from her past? A rare/pair fic written for the following prompt: "It wasn't that she'd never regarded him as intelligent, but to see his name in print and a raving article of his genius in producing the most potent healing herbs since Merlin himself, Hermione knew the Neville Longbottom had turned into something so much more."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Just letting everyone know up front just so there's no confusion. This is a rare/pair fic, using the NL/HG pairing. While not my normal ship, I do adore Neville and when challenged to step outside your normal pairings in the 2009 Hermione Fuh-Q-Fest at Granger Enchanted, I chose him. Hope you'll give it a try.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

Many, many special thanks to my wonderful Beta, sweettiff_14, for all her help.  


* * *

  
Hermione sat sipping her coffee. Merlin, forget about tea, she loved her morning coffee. Maybe it came with the territory. The Emerald City was, after all, famous for it: birthplace of Starbucks and all that. She didn't get an opportunity to come into the city as much as she used to, but she did love the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Seattle. From Pike's Place Market to Chinatown, to the views of Mt Rainier or the Sound, it was wonderful place to be. Lots of happy memories from the two years she'd lived here, up until her husband Jake's death, four years ago.

Then she'd taken a new job and moved down to Walla Walla, and she rarely came up to the city anymore. But this weekend, she and a few other teachers had brought a group of their senior students up for a special conference at the Pacific Northwest Institute of Magic. There were special seminars in all the major magical categories: Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Herbology, Potions, Charms (her area of specialty), Divination (she still thought this class was a bunch of hooey), and Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Her friend Tam was simply gaga over the fact there was some world renowned Herbologist and Potions team from a company called Seville, Inc. giving a presentation on some new-fangled method they'd developed to grow a strain of super-duper, mutant, healing herbs. Tam claimed it was supposed to increase the potency of healing potions up to fifty percent or more. She been gushing about it for so long that Hermione had started to tune her out, only half listening to everything she said. She'd tried to get Hermione to read all the brochures, but Hermione had just set them aside. Potions and Herbology really wasn't her thing. Now, if it had involved developing charms to enhance potions or herbs, she might have been interested.

With a little shake of her head, Hermione's mind returned to the present. She was an early riser and had gone out by herself to visit an old haunt of hers: 'Bean's the Best Coffee Emporium', her favorite coffee shop. But, she'd better get back to the hotel, the other teachers and kids would be getting up, and they had promised them a pre-conference day of site-seeing in both Magical and Muggle Seattle.

As she headed to the exit, she barely noticed the two wizards at the counter getting coffee. The older one turned and watched her, a slight frown on his face. The witch looked familiar to him, but from the back he couldn't be sure, he couldn't quite place where he knew her from. Still, there was something about her... that curly, brown, hair, confident stride... she reminded him of... ? But no, that was absurd, of course. What on earth would Hermione Granger be doing in Seattle?

~*~

By the end of the day she was exhausted. Merlin, the student-teacher ratio was only 3 to 1—it shouldn't be that hard to keep up with a group of fifteen teenagers. Hermione felt eighty instead of twenty-eight. They'd visited many Muggle sites: the Space Needle, Pikes Place, the University Arboretum, the underground tour. Then they'd visited several sites in the magical sector of Seattle. Pioneer Mall, which was Seattle's version of Diagon Alley, had it's entrance in the back of a little pub call Squeeky's which was located in historic Pioneer Square. Then they'd managed to take in a quick trip by Apparition to visit a magical commune on the slopes of Mt. St. Helens, and also afterward, had a chance to observe a group of Sasquatch in their natural habitat. Hermione couldn't help but think of Hagrid and how he would have loved seeing the huge, gentle creatures.

Luckily, a group of parents were popping in to take over watching the kids for the rest of the evening to give the teachers a well deserved break. There were: Hermione, Tam who taught Herbology, their friend, a tall red-head named Phil Hill (he reminded Hermione a great deal of George Weasley) who taught Transfiguration, and a pair of teachers who were newlyweds Chris and Suzanne Barker, the D and D teachers (he taught Defense and she taught Divination.) The group decided to go out to dinner together and enjoy themselves.

After dinner Chris and Suze decided to return to the hotel to do what newlyweds were prone to do. The other three decided to go out for a few drinks. If Hermione had her way she would have returned to the hotel with Chris and Suze, except to her own room, of course, thereby giving Tam and Phil a chance to be alone. She knew her friend had a bit of a crush on Phil, and Hermione had a pretty good suspicion that he felt the same way about her, but Tam wouldn't hear of her spending the night alone at the hotel with a book.

"What you really need is to have a few drinks, find a guy and get laid, Westie," Tam told her. Hermione's married name was Weston, and Tam had always called her Westie since their college days. "Jake's been gone four years, babe; he would want you to move on, you know," her friend stated bluntly.

"Tam, it's not like I'm pining away, in my grief. I'll always miss Jake. But I just haven't met anyone I care to date, much less shag."

"At the rate you're going, there's not much chance you ever will, is there, Hermione?" prodded Phil. "You rarely leave the school, even to go into Walla Walla. You stay there for the holiday breaks, and most of the summer. You never go back home to England or to visit your folks in Australia."

"Yes, Daddy Phil. Quit scolding me," she teased him. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm really not the type to indulge in one-night-stands." What she didn't tell them, was the last time she'd picked up a one night stand, she'd ended up eventually marrying him and following him halfway around the world.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, hon." Tam stabbed her with a swizzle stick. "It'd do you good to indulge in a little poke and tickle, even Philly here thinks so. If it weren't for me and the mad, crazy attraction he has for me, he'd probably volunteer to do the dirty deed himself."

Hermione laughed, "I can't believe you two are counseling me to jump into bed with a stranger!"

Tam and Phil started pointing out different guys in the bar to her, urging her to pick one of them up. But she just kept laughing it off and refused to take them seriously. Finally they decided to head back to the hotel, since they did have to get up early with the kids for the conference in the morning.  
~*~

The conference went well. Hermione attended several very interesting and educational presentations dealing with the Charms field in general. In the afternoon, she and Phil attended a session that involved a combination of charms and transfiguration methods. They both were quite impressed with the presenters.

The day went by quickly and they were soon sending their students off with the parents who had come by to pick them up and transport them either home or back to the school grounds. Tam got back from her conference which had been off-site, as they'd toured some gardens and greenhouses as well as attended a series of lectures. She went on and on about how absolutely brilliant the whole theory was.

The after conference happy-hour was in full swing. Hermione and Phil were having an animated discussion with the presenters of the Charms/Transfiguration lecture when she heard Tam calling her.

"Westie... Westie, you just have to meet... Come here." Hermione stood up to get to her friend. "I want you to meet my friend," she was saying to someone behind her. "We both teach at the same school, the Walla Walla Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or W.W.A.W.W. as we like to call it. Here she is, Hermione Weston, I'd like you to meet—"

"NEVILLE!" She screamed, practically flying into his arms.

"HERMIONE! I can't believe it, what are you doing here? It's so good to see you!" He swung her around holding her close to him, hugging her tight. "Oh, sweet Merlin, this is crazy. I don't believe it, you're Tamara's friend? What are you doing here, in America? I'd heard a rumor that you'd settled in Australia."

"Neville... oh, my gods...oh, my gods, you look fantastic!" And he did! Little, chubby, awkward Neville Longbottom had grown up and grown up well. He stood tall, over 6' 3", and he wasn't chubby anymore, oh no, he wasn't. Carrying around all those heavy planters and digging in the dirt had paid off, he was buff with a capitol B, complete with bulging biceps. Shaggy, dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a straight white smile topped off the image. "Oh, I've missed you." Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes.

"Oh, Merlin, wait," he gasped. "There's someone else here you have to meet. Stay right here, don't move, I'll be right back."

Her friends just stood by staring. "Sooo... I guess you two know each other?" asked Tam.

"We went to the same boarding school in Scotland: Hogwarts. He was a very, very good friend. We lost touch after the war, though. I wonder who he wants me to meet. Oh my gosh, maybe he's married. It's probably his wife. I wonder if he married Hannah Abbott, or maybe Susan Bones."

Before Tam could tell her that she was sure that Dr. Longbottom was single, he'd returned, pushing his way through the crowd leading another familiar face.

"Professor!" she cried. She looked at him in disbelief. She reached out to touch him, but pulled back as if he couldn't be real. Memories of this man and what he'd done to protect them as children overwhelmed her; what he'd endured to save their world, the unthinkable things he'd been forced to do. It broke her heart just to think of it. She'd seen him die, or so she had thought at the time, although, of course, she'd learned later that he had survived Nagini's attack. She felt like she was drowning in the memories of times and places she hadn't thought of in years, which she had forced herself to try to forget.

"Miss Granger," he said, breaking through her reverie, with that distinctive velvet voice she would never forget as long as she lived.

"Oh, Professor Snape," she cried, throwing herself into his arms and breaking down into sobs.

Members of the crowd were staring at the spectacle. Severus and Neville both tried to soothe her at once, one holding her and shushing, while the other patted her hair and rubbed little circles over her back. "Neville, perhaps we could adjourn to somewhere more private," suggested Severus softly, while supporting Hermione, holding her close to his side.

Neville asked Hermione's friends to join them in their suite. Tam and Phil, followed the trio to the elevator. Hermione, who was still crying, but more quietly now, was finally able to compose herself a bit by the time they got to the room.

"I'm so sorry for being such a watering pot," she exclaimed. "I don't know what came over me. It's just that seeing Neville was such a shock, and then you, Professor. Everything just seemed to rush back at me, all the memories.The war, and the things we had to do to survive, the sacrifices you made for us... I left right afterwards, you know, to try to find my parents. I never got a chance to thank you properly for everything you did for me, for us... for all of us. I guess I was just overwhelmed," she admitted quietly.

"It's quite all right, Miss Granger, and you may call me Severus now. I haven't been anyone's professor for many years now."

"Thank you, sir... Severus, and it's Hermione. I haven't been Miss Granger in quite some time."

Suddenly Tam gasped as the realization hit home, "Oh my fucking gods! Westie, you're Hermione Granger!"

Hermione giggled. "Yes, I know that, Tam."

"No, seriously. You're THE Hermione Granger, brain of the Golden Trio, one of the heroes of Britain's Second Voldemort War. That's you."

She smiled at her friend."I know, love. That's me all right."

"Holy shit!" added Phil quietly.

"Holy shit, indeed, Mr. Hill," murmured Severus.

~*~

The group spent the next several hours sharing a bottle of Firewhisky which Severus had smuggled in, while catching up on each other's pasts for the last nine years.

"So, Neville, tell me how you got to be this hot-shot world-renowned Herbologist. If I had bothered to read all the information that Tam kept shoving at me, I would have known that her Herbology hero that she's been lusting after was you."

"Westie!" exclaimed Tam, embarrassed.

"Why does Tamara insist on calling you that?" inquired Severus.

"Tam has called me that since college. We both attended the Rocky Mountain University of Magical Studies in Denver. Weston is my married name; both my husband Jake and I went there."

"You're married then?" asked Neville, surprised, and a little disappointed. He'd assumed she was single still.

Hermione's eyes dropped. "Widowed," she whispered, "four years ago."

"I am sorry for your loss, my dear," Severus comforted, laying a hand in solace on her shoulder.

This man was so different from the snarky, rude, irritating, git she'd known back at Hogwarts. She wanted to know what had changed him. "I'll tell my story, but first, I want to hear how you and Neville came to be where you are today."

"Well," began Neville, "after the war, I decided to take advantage of my natural affinity for Herbology to make a life for myself. I figured, I might as well do something I loved. Without a bankroll, and the Longbottom coffers were practically drained, it was difficult to find a backer. I got the idea to approach Professor Snape. I figured if I could prove my theories to him then he might be willing to help me out. Plus, I also thought I might be able to help him as well, since I knew his recovery was not going well."

"And the reason he knew that was that he was the one to save me in the Shrieking Shack," interjected Severus. "After he found out that I'd been bitten by the Dark Lord's snake, he came back and found me. I'd been prepared for an attack by Voldemort and had supplies on me: a bezoar, blood replenishers, strengthening potions which kept me alive, but I was still suffering from that damned snake's venom. Neville Apparated me to Poppy, and then searched out the head of Nagini. Using the the snake's head, the healers were able to extract her poison to create an anti-venom which saved my life. He then insisted on visiting me nearly every day. I was weak and had an extremely long and painful recovery, but recover I did, thanks to Neville here. "

Neville blushed and continued with his tale. "Knowing how much difficulty Severus was having, I approached him with some of my theories on growing methods geared towards increasing the potency of herbs and plants, which I thought would aid in his recovery as well as make an excellent business venture. But I needed financial backing as well as the advice and most importantly, the assistance of a competent Potions Master."

"Neville, presented an extremely strong case for his ideas," explained Severus. "I was impressed with his hypothesis and his strategies for a combination Herbology and Potions business. He moved into Spinners End with me and basically became my nursemaid for most of the first year, but eventually we became business partners."

"And friends," added Neville.

"Yes, and friends," agreed Severus.

"So are you two like... together?" blurted Tam, curious.

"What!" shouted Severus. "Together? No... how... why would you... Of course not, that's absurd!"

Neville just laughed, finding Severus' discomfort hilarious. "No, honestly, we are just good friends. Severus is a mentor to me—more like an uncle, or a father figure."

"Or a much older brother," joked Severus.

Hermione was amazed at the camaraderie between the two men, remembering how badly Severus had picked on Neville and how poorly Neville had performed in the Potions classroom. The were so different now, joking and laughing and free with each other.

"Anyway, that's how we started out. We built our business slowly and once we were firmly established, Severus was able to secure a loan from Lucius Malfoy for expansion. We incorporated and went international just a few years ago."

"Oh Merlin, I just realized. Tam had mentioned Seville, Inc. I never even thought... it's Severus and Neville isn't it?" asked Hermione.

"Right in one," responded Severus. "Now, please tell us your story, we're very curious. It seemed that you had disappeared off the face of the earth after the end of the war. I thought you three, Potter and Weasley and you, would be friends forever."

"So did I," Hermione responded sadly, choking back her emotions. "After the war ended, and after the burials and memorial services, the first thing I wanted to do was go to Australia,and find my parents, to restore their memories." She quickly explained the extreme measures she had gone to in order to protect her parents from attack by Voldemort and his followers. "Anyway, Harry was a mess afterwards; he just wanted some time to himself. He wasn't much help at all. I guess I couldn't blame him. But then when I asked Ron to help me, he said his family needed him. Molly and George especially were just a mess, trying to deal with Fred's death. So, he said it would have to wait a while.

"That really upset me, why was his family any more important than mine? It seemed like finding and returning my parents was no big deal, while supporting his family was a top priority. At that point, I decided to just go on my own to find my mum and dad. But it turned out it wasn't as easy as I'd thought it would be. They'd moved from the place I settled them. I had a hard time finding them; it took me weeks just to locate them. When I did, I couldn't get the memory reversal charms to work right, so I ended up having to take them to the Aussie version of St Mungo's, St. Genezer's. It was a nightmare, but the healers were finally able to get them all sorted out."

She paused and sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. Instead of being happy to have their memories restored and reunited with me, my parents were furious with me. They were so angry that I'd taken it upon myself to do what I did without their permission or cooperation, they couldn't... wouldn't forgive me. We speak now occasionally, but basically we are still pretty much estranged."

Neville slid over next to her on the couch and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, Hermione. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, love, and all alone, too. That's doubly awful."

Hermione sniffled. "So anyway, they didn't want to go back to England. They decided to remain in Australia. By that point, I didn't want to go home either. I felt like there was nothing left for me back there, and I thought if I stayed, perhaps my parents and I would have a chance to work things out. But it never seemed to get better, and it was very tense whenever we got together. I was very depressed and felt guilty for what I'd done to them.

"Then one night, I was out at a bar on the beach trying to drink my troubles away, and I met this American wizard who was on summer break from uni. He'd come to Oz to surf and party. I went home with him that night. It was just supposed to be a fling, a one-night-stand, but something just seemed to click between us. By the end of summer we got married, and I became Hermione Weston. So, when he returned home to the U.S. in September; I went with him. I took some equivalency exams in lieu of completing my NEWTs and enrolled in the same college."

"We finished school three years later and moved to Seattle. Jake was an Auror. He was top of his class, so he got assigned to a special ops unit. They always got the most difficult assignments, the most dangerous. We'd been married almost five years when he was killed on a mission."

It was quiet in the room, everyone was moved by Hermione's story. She continued, "You know after the war, when Voldemort and his Death Eaters were defeated, I childishly believed that we'd all live happily ever after. But, I realize now, there will always be evil in the world, always another dark wizard on the rise, another faction trying to control others. It never ends, I guess.

"Anyway, after that I left Seattle and took the job at Walla Walla. Now I have a life there and good friends," she smiled at Tam, who squeezed her hand, and at Phil. "So I decided to just stay. I haven't been back to England in over nine years. That's it, end of story." Hermione smiled at Neville and Severus.

"Have you no contact with anyone back in Britain?" asked Severus softly. "Potter? Any of the Weasleys? No one?" He was confused. She had played such a huge role in the war as Potter's friend and side-kick, and she really had been the brains of the trio. How could they all just accept her disappearance without question?

Hermione showed her conflict by her nervous reaction, her hands tightly clenching and unclenching. "Actually, I get a Christmas card from Minerva every year, as well as a letter nearly every summer offering me a position a Hogwarts. And Filius, came to visit me two summers ago. He actually helped me find a mentor here when I decided to go into Charms, and since then we've become friends. Luna comes to visit often, at least once or twice a year. In fact, she came and stayed with me for quite awhile after Jake died. I've tried sending letters to Harry, Ron and Ginny, even to Molly, some were returned, unopened. Others I sent weren't returned, but they were never answered either. I finally just gave up."

She swallowed hard before looking at the others, the pain glaringly evident in her eyes. "Really, Severus, Harry is an Auror. And a fucking good one, if Minerva's reports are to be believed. If he really wanted to find me, to see me, he would have. He doesn't care, that's obvious. And Ron, well, I'm sure he saw my exit to Australia as a betrayal to him personally; that's just the way Ron thinks, it's always about him. As far as I'm aware, he's never tried to find me either. Or any of the rest of the Weasley's, for that matter, and they were like my surrogate family in the wizarding world."

She was weeping again. Even though she didn't want to, she just couldn't stop herself. "I'm sorry, really. I don't want to seem bitter. I've been very happy with my life. I had a wonderful husband, who I loved dearly, and we had nearly five years together. I have a job I love. I know you really weren't fond of the teaching profession, Severus, but I really do love what I do. As I said, I have some really great friends. But I can't deny that it hurts that people whom I loved, my closest friends for seven years of my life, whom I stuck by through thick and thin, now want nothing to do with me. They can't even be bothered to read a bloody letter!"

"I wish you would have contacted me, Hermione," said Neville softly, taking her hand in his.

She looked at him confused. "But I did write you one time, Neville, right after I'd moved to America with Jake. It wasn't returned to me like the others, but I never received a reply. It seemed at the time like everyone from my old life was rejecting me; from my parents, to nearly all of my old friends. I just decided the best thing for me to do was forget about them and make a new life for myself here."

"Oh, Hermione. I don't know what happened, but I never got the letter. I would have contacted you, I swear it. I never thought to ask McGonagall, and I've rarely seen Luna since the war. I have thought of you often, though, and wondered why you left so suddenly and never returned to visit. I wish I'd known, I would have gone with you to help you find your parents. Or I would have come here to see you sooner."

"Thanks, Neville. That means a lot to me, it really does. I was beginning to think I'd done something to make everyone hate me."

Severus had been thinking. "You know, Neville, that would have been about the time when you were moving in to care for me at Spinners End. It's possible that Hermione's letter was misplaced in the move or was sent to your grandmother's home."

Hermione gasped. "You know, I think I may have sent it in care of your grandmother, Neville. I didn't know if you would be returning to repeat your last year at Hogwarts or go home to live with your grandmother or just where you would be."

"Well, that probably explains it. Gran's memory isn't what it used to be, although she'd never admit that. She probably just misplaced it or forgot to give it to me. I'm really sorry, Hermione."

The hour was getting late and Phil suggested they should probably head back to their rooms. Hermione seemed reluctant to leave her old friend and professor after finding them again and was ecstatic to learn that they both were going to be staying in the area for several more weeks. They had plans to explore the Washington rain forest for unusual plants, and Severus hoped to have a jaunt up to the Alaskan tundra to search for some rare Potions ingredients. Although they had been planning on staying closer to the Olympic Peninsula, Neville now wanted to stay near Hermione's home in Walla Walla, as they could easily Apparate to their destinations.

~*~

After the three friends had left Neville and Severus worked on finishing off the bottle of Firewhisky.

Severus actually felt outraged at Hermione's treatment at the hands of her so-called friend, which was surprising as he'd never held any great affection for the girl. "It's just so wrong on a purely elemental level, Neville. I mean she saved Potter's arse so many times, we would have lost the war ten times over if not for her. And they just completely wrote off her leaving, never even attempted to contact her or answer her letters. It's just insane."

Neville studied his glass of whisky, holding up to the light, swishing it around. He sighed heavily.

Severus eyed him pointedly. "Out with it. You know something or at the very least, suspect. What is it?"

"I believe I might have a theory on what happened to those letters. And I think there's a very good chance that neither Harry or Ron has any idea whatsoever that Hermione ever attempted to contact them. They probably really believe she just deserted her old life and them with it."

"Spill it, Longbottom."

"Ginny Weasley's my guess. Even though she pretended to be a friend to Hermione's face, she was always worried that Hermione would come between Harry and herself. She'd wanted Harry since she was a child. And I know for a fact that during my last year at Hogwarts before the end of the war, she was furious that Hermione was off with Harry and Ron on some sort of secret mission. The thought of Hermione being with Harry 24/7 drove Ginny straight up the wall. She complained about it constantly. She was really bitter, even called her a slut and whore."

"Jealousy?"

"I guess. Why else would she try to keep Hermione away from them."

"So, for petty jealousy she would destroy a seven-year-long friendship?"

"Believe me, Severus. Ginny Weasley is not the sweet, simple, innocent girl she would like everyone to think she is. Most of that is an act. She'll do pretty much anything to get what she wants, and at the time, what she wanted more than anything else in the world, was to be Mrs. Harry Potter."

"Well, she got what she wanted," Severus agreed. "But if the rumors are true, their marriage is on the rocks anyway. And if she really did what you think she did... well, let's just say I wouldn't want to be around when Potter found out the truth about it."

Thinking a bit, Severus continued, "Regardless of your theory, Hermione was right about one thing, if Potter had really wanted to find her he would have. He has the means to do it. So I still hold him somewhat responsible."

"I 'd have to agree with you to a certain extent, Severus. But then again, Harry is known to have abandonment issues. Maybe he simply couldn't deal with the idea that Hermione just walked out of his life. "

Neville was once again pondering his whisky glass.

"Okay, Neville, out with it. What else is on your mind? I can practically hear the gears grinding in there."

"Do you think a girl like Hermione Granger could ever be interested in someone like me?"

Severus eyed him speculatively, and thought about the question before offering an honest opinion. "Neville, someone like you is exactly what that girl needs. Someone who'll love her and cherish her, and protect her from asshole ex-friends."

But it's Hermione, Severus, and I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Neville, you are worthy of happiness. You aren't that shy, awkward, geeky little boy anymore; well, perhaps a bit geeky, but I understand that can be a turn-on for some girls. Actually, come to think of it, I'll bet geekiness is a huge turn-on for Granger. Look, when are you going to learn that you are the best the wizarding world has to offer. You're not only smart, rich, and handsome, but you've proven your true worth in time of war. You, my lad, have suffered trial by fire and come out golden. You're caring and honest, and you also have a heart to match."

Neville grinned at him and teased, "Are you sure you don't want to be with me, like Tamara asked? You seem to have given this a lot of thought."

"Oh, shut it before I decide you really are a great dunce," replied Severus. "You know, deep down you actually have a lot in common with Hermione. And you've been in love with her since you were eleven years old. Don't you think it's about time you admitted it?"

Neville gaped at him."How did you know?"

Severus chuckled."Really, Neville. I've seen you work in a potions lab. You're not half bad. In fact, you're pretty damn good; and I know that's not a result of my expert tutoring during my recovery. No one could possibly explode as many cauldrons as you did at school by accident, no one. As long as you were inept at Potions she was sure to keep spending time with you, helping you, tutoring you, wasn't she?"

Neville nodded. "I think I've loved her from the first time I met her on the Hogwarts Express when she helped me look for my toad, Trevor," he admitted.

"Then, damn it, man, do something about it!"

~*~

Neville decided to throw caution to the winds and take Severus' advice. He figured it was time to take a chance. He was single, Hermione was available, and he might never get a another opportunity like this. The problem was he'd never tried to woo a witch he really cared about before. Neville was no blushing virgin, he'd been with plenty of girls—after the war he'd had his pick of the hero groupies. He'd had a few flings here and there in the ensuing years, even had a couple of short-term girlfriends, but the relationships never lasted. Maybe because none of them could compared to Hermione Granger.

~*~

 

Neville had spent several weeks getting reacquainted with Hermione. The first three weeks were the end of term for Walla Walla so he did his research while she was teaching during the day, but spent every evening and weekend in her company. Sometimes she went with him on hikes to search for rare and unusual plants, and sometimes Tam came along as well since she shared Neville's enthusiasm for   
Herbology.

Soon it was her summer break and Neville stayed on much longer than the few weeks he'd originally intended. Hermione took him on outings into the Muggle world: to the cinema, the malls, museums, the beach, and sightseeing. Soon they were together nearly all the time. They ate together, talked together, read together, laughed together. They'd kissed more than a few times, which was bloody fantastic, but the only thing they didn't do was sleep together. He'd finally reconnected with Hermione after all these years and he didn't want to ruin things by moving too soon, but the weeks had turned into months. Neville wasn't sure how to move things to the next level, and it worried him.

It was finally Hermione herself who brought an end to the stalemate.

One evening they sat on her couch, finishing off the bottle of wine they'd started with supper. One thing led to another, and before he knew what was happening, he had his hands wrapped in her curls, pulling her close to him, his lips on hers, warm and soft. She tasted so damn good. His tongue slid into her mouth, dancing with hers, flitting over her teeth. Her hands slipped under his shirt to caress his rock-hard abs, then slid around over his muscular back, pulling him tight to her, so tight it was like she was trying to absorb his body into hers. Gods, he was getting so hot he was sure they would both spontaneously combust. Suddenly he pulled away. _What was he doing?_ He didn't want to scare her off, he should take things slowly. He slid back away from her a bit more.

_What is going on here?_ Hermione wondered. Neville seemed like he wanted her, but then he always put a stop to the action, just as things started to heat up. She decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. _Sometimes confrontation was good,_ she thought. "Neville, I'm not sure what's happening here, but I don't think I can do this anymore."

_Oh, shit,_ thought Neville in a panic. _Now I've gone and ruined everything. She's going to tell me she doesn't want to see me anymore._ "Hermione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed you. Please, I don't want to lose you, lose your friendship..."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Neville, you are not going to lose me or my friendship, but I want you so badly right now, it's truly driving me insane. Aren't you ever going to shag me?"

Time stood still, and in that instant Neville finally realized what an idiot he'd been: she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, it was like magic! Suddenly mouths and lips and hands were everywhere. He was back across the couch with his hands pulling up the hem of her tee shirt trying to get it over her head. At the same time he was in his own way because he was kissing her lips, her face, her neck, everywhere he could manage to get his mouth on, or near. Simultaneously she was trying to get his shirt unbuttoned, but her fingers were moving so fast they kept getting tangled up with each other. Finally, in frustration, she grabbed either side of his shirt and yanked it apart, the buttons pinging loose like something out of a steamy romance novel.

Her hands roamed his chest and her lips and tongue soon followed. She kissed her way down his neck, stopping to suckle that spot right where his neck joined his shoulder causing him to shiver in reaction. She love having that kind of power over him, In fact, she wanted more. She wanted to make him mad with need for her, to make him shout out her name in passion. Her exploration continued down until she reached his tight, brown, nipples which were constricted into hard nubbins. She licked and kissed and sucked them until he was moaning.

Somewhere along the way he'd managed to get her shirt off and now he shoved her back off him and deftly unhooked her bra and threw it aside. Pushing her down onto the couch he was on her in an instant and now it was his turn to devour her. _Oh, my sweet gods and goddesses, she has the most beautiful breasts I've ever seen,_ he thought as he began to worship them. His fingers traced around the outline of her dusky aureoles lightly, barely touching and never quite there where she wanted them. Her nipples puckered up into tight, berry-sized knots of sensation, demanding his attention, as he tickled the sensitive underside of her breasts before gently squeezing them, then again, harder. They were so firm in his hands, he jiggled them a bit just to watch them shake. His mouth lowered and finally, finally he sucked her right nipple in, swirling his tongue around the very tip, then flicking it back and forth. At the same time, he worried the other with his fingers pinching lightly and rolling it. After lavishing his attention on her right he breast he moved his focus to her other breast. He spent several minutes going from one to the other until she was squirming beneath him, making these sexy little whimpers in the back of her throat that he was absolutely sure would soon drive him mad with desire.

Her hand worked down between their bodies and she caressed his erection, and, oh my lord! It was quite an impressive one. Wanting even more to touch him, she tried to slip her hand under his waistband and into his pants, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from him. "Oh god, no, Hermione," he gasped. "Please, stop. If you touch me right now, I'm going to lose it like a schoolboy."

"Neville," she said grinning at him saucily. "It's okay, that doesn't matter to me, it's not as if we can't do it more than once."

"Oh, you can bet your sweet wand we'll be doing it more than once, witch!" he exclaimed. "In fact, now that we've finally made it this far, I rather doubt you'll be seeing the outside of this cottage for the next few days, maybe the next week, if I have my way. But for now, just for now, sweet, please, I'm begging you, let me do it my way this first time. Let me pleasure you, let me love you like I've dreamed of for so long. I want to be inside you. I don't want to come in my pants like a randy teenager."

She blushed at his bluntness but nodded her acquiescence. Then he stood, scooping her up in his arms as if she were weightless and carried her into the bedroom tossing her onto the center of the bed. Crawling up next to her and pulling out his wand, he vanished the rest of her clothes and most of his, leaving only his black boxers on, then he casually discarded his wand on the nightstand. He studied her naked body and it was even better than anything he'd ever imagined.

Hermione was embarrassed by his perusal and tried to cover herself with her hands. "Don't try to hide yourself from me, love. I've been dreaming of this moment for years." Neville, merely caught her hands up in one of his hands and held them over her head pinning them to the pillow, as he returned to his feasting on her breasts. His other hand roamed over her body, feeling her silky skin, caressing down her side to her hips, onto her stomach, circling there, then down her legs and back up. In a short time she was writhing against him. She wanted him so badly. He was driving her to the edge and just holding her there. She wondered if she might come just from him sucking and playing with her nipples. She'd read about that sort of thing but didn't really believe it, it was a myth. _Wasn't it?_ Soon her hips were undulating each time he suckled on her nipple, and she was making those noises again.

He briefly feared he might spill just from hearing those needy whimpers coming from her, so he tried to think of something else, anything else. _Hagrid naked, Ron Weasley in a tutu, Severus in his Gran's clothes._ Ah, that did the trick, he was in control again. He wrapped her fingers around the spindles of the headboard, "Keep your hands right there for now, love. Don't make me have to restrain you," he said with and evil glint in his eye.

Hermione shuddered and could feel a gush of moisture between her legs at his threat. Neville slowly slid down further, his lips tracing her ribs and nuzzling her navel as his hand softly caressed down her legs and back up before his fingers teased her slit. He slid his body down farther and rested between her legs, gently but firmly pushing them apart and wedging his broad shoulders between them, so he could get in where he so wanted to be. He slipped his boxers off, kicking them off the end of the bed and settled in to enjoy what he had fantasized about for so long. He inhaled deeply. Oh gods, she smelled divine, and his mouth actually watered at the very thought of tasting her. With his thumbs, he slowly, gently separated her nether lips. _Sweet Nimue, it's like opening the petals of a rare and beautiful orchid. She's so pretty here, pink and warm and wet, just for me,_ he thought. He dipped his tongue in for a long, slow lick.

Hermione practically levitated off the bed."Neville," she cried. "Oh, my fucking god!" He took that to mean she approved and he dove right in, lapping at her hot, wet core. He licked and kissed and nibbled and sucked, finally sliding first one, then two, then three fingers inside her cunt, pumping in and out as she pressed up frantically against him. His tongue flicked back and forth, and around and around her clit as he hummed his pleasure against her most sensitive spot. He could feel and taste her slickness. Oh, how long had he dreamed of this moment? He could sense she was reaching her pinnacle, so he closed his lips over her clit and suckled it as he had her nipples. That action was enough to send her over the edge.

As her body convulsed, he swiftly surged back up and plunged within—and it felt like, oh gods, like coming home—he was exactly where he was meant to be. His cock felt as hard as granite, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. He slid in to the hilt, and oh, sweet Merlin, it was fabulous. He pulled out only to slam back in again. Hermione's hands untwined from the the headboard and twined around him. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, tilting her hips up giving him an even better angle. Her heels dug into his ass spurring him on, as he continued to pump into her softness, several more times, feeling his impending explosion. Then she was calling his name over and over like some sort of ancient, ritualistic chant, "Neville... Neville... Neville... oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuckfuckfuck... Ohhhhh!" He watched her eyes roll back in her head and felt her convulse a second time, her pussy clenching oh so tightly around his cock as he pulsed within her, over and over, crying out his release in low guttural groans. Finally his strength just evaporated and he collapsed, sliding to her side so he wouldn't crush her. He gathered her into his arms and pressed gentle kisses to her neck and face.

They slept for a while. Then woke and proved that, as usual, Hermione was right and they could do it more than once, more than twice. In fact, three times was not impossible! Finally exhausted, they fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

Waking in the morning, Hermione found herself spooned back against Neville's hard chest, his equally hard cock nestled into the curve of her arse. "Was last night a dream, or did it really happen?" she whispered.

"Oh, baby. It was most definitely the real thing," Neville answered with a tender smile.

"So, what happens now?" asked Hermione. "I mean where do we go from here?" She turned in his arms, and snuggled into his heat.

"Where ever we want," Nev replied."I don't want to rush you into anything you're not ready for."

"I've been alone for four years, Neville. I think, no, I know, that you're the best thing that has happened to me in a very, very long time. I don't want to rush anything either, but right now I think I'm right where I want to be, forever."

"You don't know how happy that makes me feel to hear you say that, Hermione. I've fancied myself in love with you since I was just a boy. I've wanted to be with you for a very long time, sweet, but I thought it was just an impossible fantasy. "

"Oh, Neville.I'm so glad we got a second chance and found each other," whispered Hermione, holding him tightly.

Neville hugged her back, silent for a minute before speaking. "So am I, love, so am I. We'll just figure something out then, right? We don't have to decide right now, but if you want this as much as I do then we'll figure it out.

"You said Minerva's been after you for years to teach at Hogwarts. You could move back to England and we could be together there. Or if the thought of returning to Britain doesn't appeal to you, Severus and I have been talking about opening a US headquarters, I don't see why Seattle, or even Walla Walla wouldn't work as well as anywhere else. The Pacific Northwest is home to an extremely high concentration of magical communities, so it is a natural choice. I could head up operations here. Or we could come up with an entirely different plan altogether. Whatever happens we'll figure it out together."

"Together," repeated Hermione, nuzzling Neville's neck. "That sounds wonderful, Neville. I really like the sound of that. Together."

~fin~


End file.
